Overview
- The Foreign Ministry said a funeral for the Korean volunteer was held on Nov. 25 in Kyiv, marking the government’s first official acknowledgment of a South Korean death in the Ukraine conflict.
- A consular officer from the South Korean Embassy attended the ceremony, and the mission is providing support to the bereaved family.
- Ukrainian authorities notified Seoul of the death and the funeral arrangements, according to the ministry.
- The government has not released the person’s identity, while local reports citing unnamed sources say the deceased was a man in his 50s surnamed Kim who was killed in May in the Donetsk region.
- South Korean citizens are barred from entering Ukraine without approval, with violations punishable under the Passport Act, a policy underscored by past prosecutions of returnees such as Ken Rhee.